Caleb Williams Wins AP Player of the Year

After taking the college football world by storm last season, Caleb Williams gave an encore performance in 2022.

And because of that, Williams has been awarded the AP Player of the Year award on Thursday. The USC signal-caller is the first Trojan to win the award since Reggie Bush in 2005. The sophomore transferred to USC from Oklahoma after the 2021 season.

Caleb Williams is the AP Player of the Year, becoming USC’s first winner of the award since 2005 👏

More: https://t.co/B9YFcBP5YF pic.twitter.com/vc4jjFk1vA

— ESPN College Football (@ESPNCFB) December 8, 2022

Williams collected 32 of the 46 first-place votes, earning 117 total points. TCU quarterback Max Duggan came in second, gathering 64 points. CJ Stroud of Ohio State, Tennessee’s Hendon Hooker, and Georgia’s Stetson Bennett followed suit.

Caleb Williams had quite the debut season in Southern California and the Pac-12. He threw for 4,075 yards, good for fourth in the FBS and the best in the conference. His 37 passing touchdowns are the most in the subdivision, tied with Stroud and Clayton Tune of the Houston Cougars. And his 167.9 passer rating is good for 5th in the FBS. He also added 372 yards and ten touchdowns on the ground.

Before Williams’ arrival, USC had a down season, only winning three games in 2021. With Williams and new head coach Lincoln Riley, the Trojans went from 3-9 to an 11-2 record and a Pac-12 Championship berth in 2022. With the Riley and Williams pairing, USC ran one of the most explosive offenses in the country, averaging 41.1 points per game.

Williams, along with Duggan, Stroud, and Bennett are finalists for the Heisman trophy on Saturday.

#8 USC accepted a bid to the Cotton Bowl versus 14th-ranked Tulane on January 2nd.